1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tape printing apparatus and a tape length-setting method which are capable of setting a tape length rapidly and reliably when printing is carried out.
2. Prior Art
Recently, there have been proposed tape printing apparatuses that carry out so-called "fixed length printing", in which the length of a tape printed with an arbitrary character string can be set to a desired tape length such that the tape can be affixed to a predetermined affixing area in a manner adapted thereto. In these tape printing apparatuses, to form a tape having a desired tape length, first, settings of a format, such as a desired tape length, character sizes, lengths between the characters, lengths of the front and rear margins of the tape, are set to the arbitrary character string entered. Then, when a predetermined key (hereinafter referred to as the "print key") for instructing a printing operation is depressed, if the arbitrary character string entered can be printed over the desired tape length, the printing operation is executed, whereas if the character string cannot be printed thereover, an error warning is generated.
In the above tape printing apparatus, however, the user is not notified of the fact that the character string cannot be printed on the tape length set or determined, until he depresses the print key to have an error warning issued, so that he cannot know whether or not printing can be carried out over a tape length at a time point of setting the same. Consequently, when the user depresses the print key to find that it is impossible to execute printing over the tape length he set, the user is required to edit the character string again to adapt it to the tape length or set the tape length again such that it is made longer than the value he set the last time. Further, the user has to depress the print key again to determine whether or not printing can be carried out. This makes the user feel that it is troublesome to operate the apparatus.